Joe Root: “Ollie. [Robinson] he wasn’t as good as we would have liked or he was waiting for himself… He’s working very hard but something is bothering him”; England’s third test against the West Indies begins on Thursday, with the series set to the head in decisive
Ollie Robinson last played for England in the fifth Test of their 4-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia
England will be without bowler Ollie Robinson once again for the third and final test against the West Indies in Grenada as they look for a series win.
Sussex closer Robinson missed the first two Tests in Antigua and Barbados with a back spasm and will also sit out the series decider from Thursday after suffering a setback in training.
Craig Overton replaces Yorkshire’s Matthew Fisher as the only change for the Tourists in an unchanged team.
Robinson failed to hit 100 per cent in a net session on Wednesday and captain Joe Root said afterward: “Ollie wasn’t as good as we would have liked or hoped for himself.”
“It’s frustrating for him, as it is for me. He’s working really hard, but there’s something bothering him.”
“I’m not exactly sure about the medical prognosis. He just has to keep doing what he’s doing and trust that he’ll recover in time.”
“We all know how effective he’s been and how good he’s been in his short career so far, so the sooner we can get him back the better.”
Unlike Robinson, Overton emerged from training unscathed and regains his place in the squad after sitting out the Barbados draw due to illness.
Somerset closer Overton replaces Fisher, with England’s bowling attack made up of Overton, versatile Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes, fast bowler Saqib Mahmood and spinner Jack Leach.
Matt Parkinson’s hopes of making his Test debut appear to have been dashed by the fact that Grenada’s surface looks livelier to bowlers than the tame courses on offer in Antigua and Barbados.
Root added: “I think we’re expecting a wicket with a bit more grass, as all of our closers will be. By all accounts, that’s what we’re expecting here.”
England fought hard to try and secure Day 5 victories in Antigua and Barbados, but were thwarted on both occasions by tough West Indies and unresponsive surfaces.
Root added: “I really hope that we can take another step forward as a team and cross the line because there have been a lot of good things.
“We’ve played most of the cricket so far and it would be a great way to end the tour.
“The nicest thing is that we haven’t had that nightmare session that cost us a Test. We’ve looked at every single session and every hour and look to win every single one of them.”
“It hasn’t always been exactly like that, but I think that mentality is really serving us well so far. As long as we can keep pushing that forward, I don’t think it’s going to be long until we’re winning games again.”
The West Indies and England will meet in the third and final Test, in Grenada, starting at 2pm UK time on Thursday. Follow the text commentary one after another from 1:45pm on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app.
